Abstract

While Australia has experienced a steady increase in the proportion of young people who complete their Senior Secondary Certificate there is still a large number of young people who leave school prior to completion (ABS 2015).
To support Year 12 attainment, various policy, programming and curriculum initiatives have been implemented. Relevant for this thesis are the National Partnerships policies that mandate and support school participation, the introduction of the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) and the proliferation of Flexible Learning Programs (FLPs). Each of these policies and initiatives provide the current education context for the Cricket Victoria Sports Development Program (CV-SDP). The program is designed along applied learning principles to reengage young people with learning who might otherwise have left school without completing Year 12.
The research set out to investigate the learning experiences and education outcomes valued by students in this program which is delivered in the state of Victoria, Australia, in partnership between SEDA, a provider of senior secondary programs, and Cricket Victoria (CV) the peak body for cricket in Victoria. The research also considered how the SEDA-CV partnership contributed to these learning experiences and education outcomes.
The research was conducted using a single case study methodology. Data was gathered using student videos and interviews, senior staff and program staff interviews from SEDA and CV and organisational documents. The data identified two key findings. The first highlights interest-based learning, choice and autonomy as unique features of learning valued by the students.
Secondly, the research reconceptualises educational partnerships beyond the philanthropic relationships currently described in the literature to one of joint value creation (Austin & Seitanidi 2012) where SEDA and CV demonstrate a genuine ability to create value for themselves and each other. Beyond philanthropic, the research also reframes educational partnerships as a three-way partnership that valued young people for their unique contribution, and in exchange provided them with valued learning experiences and education outcomes.